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Cristian Mena Pitches Lights Out for Reno
May 9, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Cristian Mena against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Cristian Mena Pitches Lights Out for Reno

Originally posted on Arizona Diamondbacks on SI
By Michael McDermott  |  Last updated May 16, 2025 9:00 AM ET

The Arizona Diamondbacks' minor league affiliates combined for a 1-3 record. Here's a recap of all the action on Thursday.

AAA: Reno Aces 0, Sugar Land Skeeters 1 (F/10)

Fresh off his strong relief appearance against the Dodgers, Cristian Mena continued the trend into his next start. His velocity was up two ticks in this game compared to his season averages, averaging 96.8 on his four-seamer and 96.2 on his sinker. Combined with a power curveball, he kept the Skeeters off balance.

Mena finished with 5.1 scoreless innings, allowing just two hits, walking one, and striking out seven on 75 pitches. The curveball was his main out pitch on the night, landing five called strikes and getting six whiffs on 11 swings. It was right in line with his season average of 51.1% on the pitch.

The only thing that slowed down Mena on the night was a power outage in the top of the sixth. Following his seventh strikeout on a nasty curveball, the lights went out and his start was cut short. Between this start and his outing against the Dodgers, that's nine consecutive scoreless innings for the right-hander.

The unfortunate news for Mena was a lack of run support for his gem. Jorge Barrosa was the only batter to collect a hit, getting both of Reno's hits on the day while the rest of the lineup went 0-for-26.

Kyle Backhus pitched 1.1 scoreless innings out of the bullpen, which likely removes him as a possibility for a call-up tomorrow to replace the optioned Joe Mantiply. Drey Jameson and Kyle Amendt did not pitch in this game. It was reported by Mike Rodrigues on X that the D-backs will call up right-hand reliever Christian Montes De Oca

AA: Amarillo Sod Poodles 5, Springfield Cardinals 4

Trailing 3-0 after six innings, the Sod Poodles rallied for five runs in their final three at-bats to steal this one. Jose Cabrera surrendered nine hits, but limited the damage to three runs, walking two and striking out six.

The Sod Poodles finally got on the board in the seventh. Manuel Peña singled with two outs and Christian Cerda launched a pitch past the left field bullpen to cut the deficit to one. While Cerda has struggled on the season, hitting .204 with a .665 OPS, his third homer of the season started the comeback bid.

Trailing 3-2 entering the ninth, Amarillo rallied for three runs to take the lead. With two runners on, Kristian Robinson roped a double into the left field corner to tie the game and put the go-ahead run at third. Tommy Troy took advantage, hitting a trampoline ball past a drawn-in infield to drive in two. Robinson and Troy both finished 1-for-4 with a walk.

Alfred Morillo came on in the eighth inning to get the win. But not before he almost blew the 5-3 lead he was handed in the ninth. He loaded the bases with nobody out on a single and two walks. He got out of it, however with a strikeout, an out at third after a run scoring single, and a groundout.

A+: Hillsboro Hops 3, Tri-City Dust Devils 4

Daniel Eagen struggled to find the strike zone, but did not allow a hit in 4.2 innings. Only 44 of his 87 pitches were for strikes, as Eagen walked seven and struck out five. He limited the damage to just two runs, on a balk and a wild pitch.

The Hops took a 2-0 lead after a single by Angel Ortiz followed by back-to-back doubles by Kenny Castillo and Ben McLaughlin. Ortiz added an RBI single in the sixth to give Hillsboro the lead right back.

However, the walks once again came to bite Hillsboro in the bottom half of the sixth. Liam Norris lost the strike zone with two outs in the inning, walking back-to-back hitters before getting lifted for Eli Saul. Saul surrendered a go-ahead, two-run single.

Ryan Waldschmidt, who Alex D'Agostino recently interviewed, went hitless but drew a walk. His 35 free passes lead the Northwest League and rank third for the entire minor leagues, trailing just Ryan Jackson (43) and Brock Wilken (36).

A: Visalia Rawhide 3, Modesto Nuts 13

The Rawhide took an early 2-0 lead, but the game quickly devolved into the sloppiness that's common in the low minors. Lorenzo Encarnacion was effectively wild for the first three innings, putting up zeros despite traffic on the bases, but the dam broke in the fourth. An error opened the floodgates in the inning, leading to six unearned runs scoring on Encarnacion.

Joangel Gonzalez was the lone bright spot for the pitching staff. He faced four hitters, retiring all of them with three strikeouts. The 20-year-old right-hander has been solid, with a 3.68 ERA and an 18/7 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 14.2 innings.

There wasn't much to talk about from the prospect side of things, as Slade Caldwell, Yassel Soler, and Alberto Barriga were off for this game.


This article first appeared on Arizona Diamondbacks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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